In what was one of the most mocked landing spots by #DraftTwitter, Jon Gruden landed his three-down workhorse when they selected Alabama’s Josh Jacobs at No. 24 overall. Although his usage at Alabama looks concerning on the outside (252 total carries in three seasons), it was mostly due to him splitting time with other five star running back monsters that Nick Saban had on his depth chart. Despite playing second fiddle to new Patriots’ RB Damien Harris and a handful of others, Jacobs showed his versatility by returning kicks, lining up at Wildcat QB and at wide receiver, while finishing his career with 1,491 yards and 16 touchdowns. He will not only be the main ball carrier for the Raiders, but his receiving skills will also be utilized on all three downs. Jacobs landed in the perfect landing spot in Oakland.

As mentioned, Jacobs’ limited usage was similar to Kenyan Drake’s (233 carries) at Alabama. Just like Drake though, Jacobs excelled in all three phases of the game, as he averaged 12.4 yards per reception and led the SEC in average kick return yardage with 30.6 yards.

“In high school before like every practice, I used to just go out and run routes,” Jacobs said. “Learn the route trees and stuff like that. It’s always something I’ve loved doing. So when I got to college, they put me out at receiver in slot and let me run routes and they were like, ‘hold on, we might actually have something.’”

In Gruden’s offense, his running backs accounted for 32 percent of his offense’s target share and in 8-of-11 seasons his running backs have caught at least 40 balls. With Marshawn Lynch no longer around, Jacobs will only have to fend off Isaiah Crowell, Jalen Richard and DeAndre Washington for touches.

Bottom Line: Pass-catching specialist, who? Christian McCaffrey returned to his college workhorse roots under new OC Norv Turner, and quickly put up Fantasy MVP-worthy numbers. He continued to flash his otherworldly receiving abilities, hauling in an NFL record 106 catches for 875 yards and 6 TDs. Yet where the usage really rose was the carries, as McCaffrey nearly doubled his 2017 total for 215 carries, 1080 yards, and 7 scores. These 321 total touches ranked third behind only Ezekiel Elliott and Saquon Barkley, and this newfound volume created the ultimate ceiling / floor combination. In the process, McCaffrey flashed both the elusiveness, breakaway ability, and most shockingly underrated power to redefine the workhorse model.

​New OC Norv Turner deserves immense credit for this outburst. His previous work with LaDanian Tomlinson proved he wasn't afraid to ride a smaller-back, as he's able to scheme his guys in space and in creative outside gaps versus just blasting them up the gut... but even still, never before had an NFL back played nearly 97% of the team's snaps. Yes, this number inevitably will fall in 2019, but McCaffrey should still hover around 85-90%, especially with Turner returning. Expect a similar buffet of weekly volume with the upside for even more efficiency should the Panthers beef up their line while their explosive young wideouts take a next step forward.

Ceiling Projection: 320 touches (100 rec.), 2,000 Tot. Yds, 13 TDs

Floor Projection*: 270 touches (70 rec.), 1600 Tot. Yds, 7 TDs

Actual Projection: 310 touches (90 rec), 1900 Tot. Yds, 12 TDs

*Note - Floors are done without injuries in mind. Of course the lowest floor is torn ACL first play of scrimmage. This assumes 16 games